As the United States experiences its highest number of measles cases in more than three decades, Rice University experts are available to provide insight into the outbreak, its public health implications and the tools being used to monitor and respond to the virus.
Public policy and vaccine expertise
Kirstin Matthews, science and technology policy fellow at Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy
Matthews is available for phone interviews and can discuss vaccines, Texas policy and measles. She directs the Science and Technology Policy Program and the Biomedical Research Program within the Baker Institute’s Center for Health Policy.
Environmental surveillance and wastewater monitoring
Lauren Stadler, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering
Stadler is an environmental engineer with expertise in wastewater surveillance, microbial analysis and pathogen detection in complex environmental samples. Her work in environmental monitoring has enabled early detection of infectious diseases through wastewater. Her research is particularly relevant for tracking community-level measles spread.
Genomic epidemiology and pathogen tracking
Todd Treangen, associate professor of computer science
Treangen specializes in real-time genomic analysis and efficient bioinformatics tools for detecting emerging pathogens and intrahost variation of viruses. His research supports developing untargeted and targeted diagnostics to distinguish new measles subtypes like clade Ib as well as computational tools for uncovering cryptic mutational patterns and tracking viral transmission.
To schedule an interview with any of the experts, contact media relations specialists Avery Ruxer Franklin at averyrf@rice.edu or Marcy de Luna at marcy.deluna@rice.edu.